Finding Solomon

Chapter 2

When the gravitational pull upset Sage Solomon, he breathed beyond the bounds of the sky. He could feel the stars, scattering their carved dust on his skin. He could taste the crisp burn of the crescent moon. Tonight, he may even have heard the vibrations from Saturn's ring, like someone had strung it as a harp. Everything that bounded him to the bedrock of the earth, and the blood to that which made him human, no longer echoed in his internal chambers. Rather, Sage felt that it buried him alive. When he touched his brown skin, he felt plastic. Sometimes, he swore he'd been rubbing at sand-scraper. His uncut nails roughly gnawing at it every time he was reminded of what dirtied him on the streets of Dubuque Lane. Indubitably, anything beyond the border of this god forsaken town.

He already knew he was a sleepwalker. To him, it was a disease that knocked on his door for several years now. Although Sage remembered never twisting the knob, he could remember when it'd twist on its own. How a darker aspect of his consciousness would deceitfully whisper soft words into his ear before burying him alive next to Lethe- the goddess herself. He'd never remember what he dreamed about, as he walked for what felt like miles. Shit, he wasn't even sure if he did dream. He supposed for a while that he was floating in between life and death.

But he did remember coming out here, and the tree's leaves swaying seductively at him. He remembered not of how long he stood under them, but of how long he was willing to stay awake. Just to make it past the comatose era that everyone else relished in.

"Sage," His brother called out for the fifth time, waving his hand above his eyes, "What the hell are you doing, man? Why are you out here?" The crickets resounded through the canals of his ears, and the image of his brother's cropped hair reared into his view. Sage waited for the hand to appear once more, grabbing it the moment in came again,

"Because-"

"And don't bullshit me," Silas interrupted, yanking his hand back, "You know it isn't safe. With all the animals lurking out here..." His voice dialed down, mind traveling down a road of other reasons.

"Because..." Sage dragged, "You and Constance wouldn't stop all your pounding on my wall." Instantly, Silas dried up like a desert, cotton laying out on his tongue and in the corner of his lips. Sometimes, he'd forget and mix up the walls inside his own home, with the ones inside his own chest.

Constance let out a gasp, "Was it that loud?" Sage only blinked at her, slowly nodding, "Goodness, hopefully it didn't reach the entire block. It'd be a shame if Charlotte Adams or Olivia Carter heard that..." She couldn't hold her smirk, but it wasn't as if she tried to.

"Constance." Silas warned, sliding his hand down his face.

She moved past Silas, ignoring his glare, "Do tell me though..." Her breath grazed Sage's ear, whispering in an enticing manner, "What did I sound like?"

It was like the moon reflected off of Sage's dull eyes, turning them back to his soft brown, "...You sounded like a cash register ringing up those two wretches new wigs," He swung his arm around her shoulder, "With all the hair they must've yanked out from hearing you two." Constance laughed loosely, both of them walking back to the house with a stumble.

Silas urged behind them, "Sage, we're not finished talking-"

"Oh, unscrew the wedgie from your ass, Silas." Constance winked at him, "He's fine. Y'all can argue with all your heart's desires in the bright morning." Right on cue, she didn't miss the bounce in her walk.

Silas watched those two walk away, like the two close friends they were, despite Constance being older than Sage by a year. They'd become sworn by pinky, the inevitable downfall of Silas Solomon- wreaking havoc in his mind and in his tapped emotions.